6 West End Shows I'm Looking Forward to Seeing in 2016

Monday, 1 February 2016

To say that I am excited for theatre in 2016 is an understatement: I am almost shaking with excitement for saying that these shows are coming to the West End, never mind the fact that they will all be here in 5 months time! So, to channel that passion I have into something much more worth while, I thought I'd count you down on what I'm most looking forward to seeing in the W.E. in 2016...

We all know that I am a massive Disney fan, so to hear that Aladdin is making its way to London this year was an absolute dream come true! I am beyond excited to see this amazing cast come together and stage this elaborate Disney musical. I am in awe of how amazing Disney's The Lion King is and how well it continues to do a the Lyceum over in Covent Garden, so I can't wait for another Disney musical to join the Covent Garden clan this summer - I'll be there in June!

I've heard nothing but good things about this new musical, Mrs Henderson Presents. After its short out-of-town run in Bath last year, I was delighted to hear the news that it was coming to the West End this Spring for a limited run! The amazing Tracie Bennett is starring as the role that Judi Dench originated in the movie and I simply cannot wait for this feel-good, saucy new show. Looks like I won't be getting down there until March time since some plans have changed, but I can't wait!

Performances start February 9th, with the run concluding on June 18th.

There are many divas I have always wanted to see reprise iconic performances: Carol Channing in Hello, Dolly!, Barbra in Funny Girl, Patti in Gypsy... and Glenn Close in Sunset Boulevard. Well, it must be my lucky day because she is doing just that! At the ENO in April, Glenn Close along with a cast that includes the likes of Michael Xavier will take to the stage in a semi-staged production of the Andrew Lloyd Webber classic. I am beyond excited to finally get to see this show performed on stage, especially with Glenn Close at the helm, and I'm more excited to see this forgotten musical be brought back to life. I'm there at the ENO on the first Saturday matinee of the run!

Let's just put this into perspective, shall we? I really badly have wanted to see Hand to God since it opened on Broadway. So much so that I legitimately got on the floor in Times Square by the TKTS booth to pick up and clean off a flyer for the Broadway production of the show because it was the only one I could find (you can see that in this vlog) - I am honestly that intrigued by it! Well yet another angel was watching down on me because it's coming to London this Friday! This dark comedy about a sacreligious puppet who gets a young boy in trouble and his family and friends around him is supposed to be the funniest play of the year. I'm already booked up to be there at first preview on Friday night and then again later this month - I can't wait!

Well if you thought that passion for Hand to God was big then imagine how excited I am for Funny Girl starring Sheridan Smith! Try as hard as I might, I just didn't manage to bag tickets to the show at the Menier and I truly thought that all hope was lost... until a West End transfer was announced! I was on it, booked for just after official opening night (April 22nd) to make sure I definitely had some seats and sat pretty in my chair! This classic Broadway musical is one of my favourites of all time and I'm delighted that it's finally getting revived for the first time since its Streisand-helmed premiere in the 1960s. I'll be at the Savoy cheering Fanny Brice along on her journey to stardom, whilst finding love along the way, and I sure hope that you are, too.

Funny Girl starts performances April 9th and is currently booking until September 10th.

1 - Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill at Wyndham's Theatre

Let's get this straight; there are three women that I adore with all of my heart: Lea Michele, Sutton Foster, and Audra McDonald (with Patti LuPone coming closely afterwards). The fact that Audra McDonald is bringing her critically acclaimed show Lady Day to London - a show that I became head over heels in love with back in the summer of 2014 when the cast album was released - astounds me. The announcement was so sudden and surprising to me that I physically screamed at 11:30pm that Thursday night and after an hour's work, managed to secure my way of getting tickets as soon as they went on release. I cannot even begin to tell you how excited I am for this show, and I'll be damned if I don't see it at least ten times - I've already booked to go twice including first preview, and I've planned another trip on top!

Lady Day starts performances June 25th for a limited season until September 3rd.

Honorary mentions have to go to National Theatre's Ma Rainey's Black Bottom which I'm seeing in March and The Flick (which is sadly sold out) but I'm seeing in April, as well as the rest of the Kenneth Branagh season and of course Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, which I'm lucky enough to be seeing late August.

What shows are you excited to see? Tweet me @shaunycat and let me know. If you want to get tickets to any of these shows then you can buy them at boxoffice.co.uk for efficient and affordable tickets to the shows mentioned above, as well as other hit West End shows. Enjoy!

**Note: this blog post is a sponsored blog post. However, all opinions shared are entirely my own including every comment made about the shows and the ranking order itself**